One calendar. Every platform.
iCal / Airbnb / VRBO calendar sync
Keep your calendars in step across your own site and the booking platforms, so a night booked anywhere is blocked everywhere and double bookings stop.
Price
$295 setup
Fixed and written into your proposal before any work starts. No hourly surprises, no long-term contract.
Add this to a full estimate
How it works
A night booked on one calendar is blocked on the others, after a short refresh.
Read the video as text
- List a cabin in more than one place, and the same night can get booked twice.
- Your calendars stay in step through the standard calendar feeds (iCal) that the booking platforms provide.
- A night booked on one is blocked on the others, including your own website.
- It runs on a regular refresh, so there's a short delay. It keeps availability in step, not prices.
What it is
In plain words.
If you list a cabin in more than one place, you may have had the stomach-dropping moment when the same night was booked twice. The fix isn't checking three calendars every morning. It's making them one calendar.
This add-on keeps your calendars in step using the standard calendar feeds (iCal) that the main booking platforms provide. When a night is booked on one, it is blocked on the others. It does this on a regular refresh, so there's a short delay between a booking and the other calendars hearing about it. That's how feeds work, and we'd rather tell you now.
A good fit if
- Hosts who list the same place on two or more platforms.
- Owners who update calendars by hand and dread the day they forget.
- Properties adding direct booking alongside platform listings.
Probably not for you if
- You list in only one place.
- You need truly instant sync across many channels. Feeds refresh periodically; a dedicated channel-manager service may suit you better, and we'll say so.
We'd rather tell you so than sell you something that doesn't fit.
What you get
Exactly what's included.
Calendar feeds from each platform in
Your platform calendars are imported, so booked dates block on your site.
A calendar feed from your site out
Each unit gets a feed the other platforms can read, so your direct bookings block there.
A regular refresh
The feeds are checked on a schedule so changes flow through.
A blocked-dates view
One place to see every date that's taken and where it came from.
A real test booking
We book a test night and watch it appear everywhere.
Written instructions
Steps for connecting another platform later, so you aren't stuck waiting for us.
How it goes
You send us your calendar links
Each platform has one; we show you where to find it.
We connect them both ways
Platform calendars flow in, and your site's calendar flows out.
We test with a real booking
We book a night and confirm it blocks everywhere.
Why it's worth it
What it does for you.
Far fewer double bookings
A night booked anywhere gets blocked everywhere, apart from the short refresh window.
No more morning calendar rounds
The checking you do by hand is done for you.
Works with direct booking
It's what lets your own site and the platforms coexist.
Peace of mind
You stop holding your breath on busy weekends.
- The cost of a double booking is rarely just the refund. It's the review you didn't get and the guest who doesn't return.
Run your own numbers
Example figures. Change them to yours.
Count the cost of a double booking and the time you spend keeping calendars matched. These are example numbers: change them to your own.
Use what you'd pay someone for that hour, or what the hour could earn you.
- Double-booking costs avoided2 a year at $300 each, spread over twelve months
- $45
- Hand-updating time you get back2.7 hours a month (we assume 90% of it goes away)
- $81
Net each month
$126
That would repay the $295 setup in about 2.3 months, and about $1,512 a year after that.
What this assumes
- Feeds refresh periodically, so a small window remains. Your platforms' own advance-notice rules help close it.
The practical bits
What it takes.
What we need from you
- The calendar (iCal) link from each platform you list on.
- A list of your units, so each gets its own feed.
How long it takes
Usually a few days once we have your calendar links.
Timelines are typical. The dates for your project go in your proposal.
Afterwards
It's a one-time price. You own what we build, and if you ever want changes later, we quote them first.
Questions
Likely questions, answered.
Is the sync instant?
No. Platforms publish their calendars as feeds that refresh periodically, so a new booking can take some minutes to a few hours to show up elsewhere. Turning on each platform's advance-notice and same-day-booking rules closes most of that gap.
Which platforms does it work with?
Any platform that offers an iCal calendar link, which includes the major vacation-rental sites.
Do I need direct booking to use this?
No. It also keeps a calendar on your own site in step with your platforms. But it's what makes direct booking safe to add.
Does it sync prices too?
No, only availability. Rates are set separately on each platform and on your own site. See seasonal rate rules for your site's pricing.
What if a platform changes how its calendar works?
It happens occasionally. Tell us, and we'll explain what a fix involves before doing anything.
What does iCal / Airbnb / VRBO calendar sync cost?
$295 setup. The price is fixed and written into your proposal before any work starts, so there are no hourly surprises. If you ask for something that isn't in the proposal, we quote that change first and nothing changes until you agree.
Do I own it?
You own what we build for you: the code, the content, and the accounts it runs on (the domain, the hosting account and any service account, such as a payment account, are opened in your name). There is no proprietary platform to be locked into and no cancellation penalty.
Can you add it to the website I already have?
Add-ons are built into a ZONA site. If you already have a site, tell us what it's built with when you get in touch. We'll tell you honestly whether this can be added to it or would work better built into a new one. We'd rather say so than sell you something that doesn't fit.
How do I get started?
Use the button on this page to add it to your project, or send a message. A discovery call takes about fifteen minutes (no pitch deck), and then you get a fixed-price proposal. You'll hear back within one business day.
Is there a long-term contract?
No long-term contracts is our standing rule: care plans are month to month, and any monthly terms for an add-on go in writing in your proposal before you sign anything.
Pairs well with